Interleague Play and Divisional Re-Alignment
We're in the midst of a two and a half week stint of interleague play. I've not been a fan of interleague play at any time. When it was first discussed way back when, I thought it was a bad idea. The promise was for fans of the other league to see the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers. But they also have to see all the other teams as well. Sure, there have been some interesting matchups over the years, and I have enjoyed some of them, but overall they have had a negative impact on baseball in my view.
Baseball has put a spin on interleague play, claiming statistics that show an increase in attendance, etc., but most of this is just that - spin. Interleague games occur mostly in the summer when school is out and the weather is good. Most series are played on the weekends, so of course attendance figures will reflect those conditions. The "rivalry" series that baseball uses for attendance props can be good because of natural rivalries within any given metro or state area.
What I would like to see more than interleague play is to realign the divisions in baseball to allow for the maximum regional team groupings. The Yankees and Mets would be in the same division and play each other 20 games each year. Same with Cubs/Sox, Dodgers/Angels, A's/Giants. Now that would be great for baseball. One division could hold the A's, Giants, Dodgers, Angels and Padres. The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles and Nats could be in another division. Maybe a southern division could hold the Rangers, Astros, Braves, Rays and Marlins. It won't happen anytime soon.
Baseball has put a spin on interleague play, claiming statistics that show an increase in attendance, etc., but most of this is just that - spin. Interleague games occur mostly in the summer when school is out and the weather is good. Most series are played on the weekends, so of course attendance figures will reflect those conditions. The "rivalry" series that baseball uses for attendance props can be good because of natural rivalries within any given metro or state area.
What I would like to see more than interleague play is to realign the divisions in baseball to allow for the maximum regional team groupings. The Yankees and Mets would be in the same division and play each other 20 games each year. Same with Cubs/Sox, Dodgers/Angels, A's/Giants. Now that would be great for baseball. One division could hold the A's, Giants, Dodgers, Angels and Padres. The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles and Nats could be in another division. Maybe a southern division could hold the Rangers, Astros, Braves, Rays and Marlins. It won't happen anytime soon.
Labels: Interleague
posted by Steve Scott at 11:56 PM
1 Comments:
I wish they do away with inter-league play. I like have two teem meet in the World Series that never played each other. I think you should play your division more and every one else in your league as equally as possible.
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